Soul Dreams
by Elizabeth Wilde
Summary: Strange dreams lead Xena, Gabrielle, Hercules and Iolaus to question their lives.


Author: Elizabeth Wilde (Livia Augusta)  
  
Title: Soul Dreams  
  
Distribution: Anyone who has my fic, anyone who asks for it,   
  
http:t questioning that now. All of the decisions I have made were the decisions   
  
that seemed best at the time. Losing that certainty will . . . I don't want to question where   
  
my life is now."  
  
The bard hugged her friend gently then lay down. "You have to sleep. I get the feeling that   
  
the dreams are drawing to a close. Maybe once you have yours, the circle will be complete.   
  
Maybe the message will be over."  
  
"I hope so," Xena sighed as she lay back on the bed, holding Gabrielle's hand. "I certainly   
  
hope so."  
  
The messenger, a skinny boy with freckles covering his bony face, shifted restlessly from foot   
  
to foot. He knew the news scrawled on the parchment he gripped and knew also how the house's   
  
occupants would feel when they read it. He just hoped he could be as far away as possible when   
  
the full force of the message hit. "Anybody home?"   
  
Lysa threw the door open quickly. Flour dotted her tan face and made her blue eyes stand out   
  
even more. "Yes? Sorry for the wait. I was cooking." She brushed back a stray lock of hair,   
  
streaking her raven tresses with white. "What is it?"  
  
The boy nervously thrust the paper into her hand. "I'm sorry." And then he ran down the path   
  
as fast as his thin legs could carry him.  
  
Odd kid."Hey, Pel! I just got a letter . . ." The words blurred briefly, then came   
  
sharply into focus. She recognized the loose scrawl instantly as Aenthus's. "No, Pel . . ."   
  
Lysa held up her hand as though it might prevent Pelea from reading the letter, might keep her   
  
from being hurt by the brief words.  
  
Noting her friend's reacting, Pelea darted forward and snatched the letter away.  
  
My love,  
  
Eurythes is dead. He was killed not more than an hour ago. I will bring him home as soon as I   
  
can.   
  
Aenthus  
  
Pelea closed her eyes tightly and willed the words to change, willed their meaning to shift.   
  
"No . . ." Green eyes misted, became glassy oceans of pain in a suddenly-pale face. "How could   
  
he be dead?" she whispered to no one and everyone.  
  
Lysa wrapped her slender arms around Pelea. "It will be alright. Somehow we will be fine. I   
  
know it."  
  
"But he promised!"   
  
Lysa's hands ran through her friend's hair, smoothing out the waves of gold and her tangled   
  
thoughts. "Eurythes loves you. He may not be coming home now . . . but someday you will be   
  
together again. I swear it."  
  
"Swear it?" Pelea almost laughed. "More promises to bre-"  
  
"Sh! No promises will be broken. You must remember that. Aenthus and I will be here for you.   
  
You will be taken care of. The child you carry will have a happier home than any before or   
  
since. I swear that as well. Do you trust me?"  
  
"Of course. You have always been my truest friend. But how can I go on without him?" A fresh   
  
stream of tears streaked her face. "How can I live?"  
  
"Because you will always have me. We can survive together, right?" Her blue eyes searched for   
  
a spark of hope in Pelea's.  
  
And found it. "Yes. Together."  
  
"Always."  
  
"Gabrielle!"  
  
"What? Xena, what?" Gabrielle rubbed the sleep from her eyes and looked at her friend.  
  
"We're going to find Hercules and Iolaus. Now."  
  
The foursome walked down the road together. "So, do you think it's over?" Iolaus asked quietly   
  
once Xena finished telling her part of the tale.  
  
"I don't know. I wish I did. I guess we just have to wait and see," the warrior princess   
  
replied, the strain of the previous night's dream still showing on her face.  
  
"Yeah. I guess so." He chanced a glance at Gabrielle, who looked like she had just foreseen   
  
her own death. "Hey, what do you say we scout ahead?"  
  
Looking up and meeting his eyes, she nodded. "Alright."  
  
Xena watched her walking away, then turned to Hercules. "And how do you feel about all this?"  
  
"I think . . . that I always knew the four of us had a connection. That we do."  
  
She touched his arm lightly and he stopped walking. "Hercules, I just want you to know that I   
  
still feel the same way about us. Our time is past. I have too much to do, too many sins to   
  
atone for. Besides, I would never be happy being just the wife of a hero."  
  
Hercules smiled. "I know that. I will always consider you one of my best friends . . . and   
  
that's all. I'm happy knowing that I'll never lose you as a friend." They continued walking,   
  
now arm-in-arm, staying a respectful distance behind Iolaus and Gabrielle.  
  
"Look, I . . . these dreams have been bringing up all kinds of feelings I never even knew I   
  
had," Iolaus began. "I've always had feelings for you, Gabrielle. Ever since the first time I   
  
saw you."  
  
"I felt it too." The bard smiled, looking down at their clasped hands. "The first time I   
  
looked into your eyes." She met Iolaus's gaze again. "I think that . . . the dreams were to   
  
show us what we already knew."  
  
"A message . . . Yeah, I think so too. Gabrielle, I . . . I want us to give it a shot. I love   
  
you. So, what do you say? We can all four travel together for awhile. Then . . . we'll see." In response, Gabrielle leaned forward and kissed him lightly on the lips. Iolaus laughed and wrapped his arms around her slender waist. "I'll take that as a yes."  
  
"Yes. But promise me something."  
  
He kissed her again, eyes shining. "Anything."  
  
"Promise me that you won't do to me what Eurythes did to Pelea. Promise that if one of us goes   
  
to battle, we go together."  
  
"I promise, Gabrielle. We lost our love once. I won't let it happen again." With that, they   
  
began walking again, each keeping an arm around the other.  
  
Hercules and Xena smiled at each other. "Cute, aren't they?" Xena asked.  
  
"Adorable."  
  
Xena laughed. "Looks like we're going to be planning a wedding soon."  
  
"They grow up so fast."  
  
The warrior princess put an arm around her friend's waist and the foursome walked into the   
  
sunset, together once again. 


End file.
